Chapter 60
The haze lifted from her consciousness.
Jemma was vaguely aware of someone supporting her.
Strong arms serving as her lifeline in the tumultuous sea of her thoughts.
Was it Rocco?
She struggled to open her eyes.
Her mind had played tricks on her too many times tonight. The drugs lulled her into a warm, numbing bliss. Waking to find she was still in the clutches of Nomar’s thugs was a reality she’d rather not face.
Still, something tugged at her to try to see the one who had ignited a small glimmer of hope within her.
She leaned into the man, her consciousness wavering toward the promise of light.
Had she imagined being free of Nomar’s men?
Was she free of the captivity or were the drugs constructing a world she desperately wanted to be in?
Jemma fought through the muddled thoughts.
She needed to know the truth.
She had to keep fighting and the only way to do that was to push to find out what was happening around her.
As if emerging from a cocoon, her eyes fluttered open and rested on the most handsome face in the world. Rocco gazed down at her with overwhelming emotion in his espresso eyes.
“Hey,” Rocco said, then leaned down to kiss her forehead. “Stay with me. Fight, okay? I promise I’m going to help you get through this. We’ll get through it together, just stay with me. Don’t close your eyes.”
“Rocco …” Jemma pushed the words out like heavy weights she could barely lift. “Where … how …”
“Don’t worry about that right now,” Rocco said, a smile spreading across his face. “You are safe. You hear me? I got you off that damn island and I’m taking you someplace safe where you can get better.”
Jemma nodded and felt like her head was about to float away. She gripped Rocco tighter, reveling in the knowledge that he was … real. He was here with her.
“You … found … me,” Jemma said.
“I wasn’t going to stop until I did. I would’ve searched forever if that’s what it took.”
“I’m so sorry,” Jemma said, a sob catching in her throat as tears flooded her eyes. “I should have told you the truth.”
“Don’t do that. Don’t you dare beat yourself up. I get why you felt like you had to do this on your own,” Rocco said, then tilted her head to look at him. “But you never have to face anything on your own ever again. I will always be there with you, whether you like it or not.”
“Rocco … “
“Shh …” He pressed a finger against her lips. “I love you, Jemma. I will always be there to back you up when you don’t need my help and to protect you when you do.”
She exhaled a slow breath. “You … love … me?”
“Did that slip out?” Rocco asked, stroking her cheek softly with his fingertips. “You had to know.”
Jemma cleared her throat. “But do … you … know?”
Rocco’s eyes danced in the dim light. “What? That you love me, too?”
Jemma was quiet as the words she’d dreamed of saying to Rocco stuck in her throat. She could only hope he could see the truth in her eyes and know how much he meant to her. How much she regretted putting everything between them on hold to seek vengeance against Nomar. If she had to do it all over, she wouldn’t make that same mistake.
Rocco whispered, “I do now?—”
The vessel shook with a devastating force, tilting sideways, sending Jemma tumbling away from Rocco. Heavy footsteps banged overhead, jostling the sub from side to side, rocking it wildly.
Jemma reached for Rocco.
Her fingertips stretching toward him as he slipped further away, tumbling toward the control panel where another man sat navigating the SPSS. She tried to move toward him, but the turbulence pressed her backward, pinning her against the side. She had no strength to fight the force pulling her away from Rocco no matter how much she wanted to get back to him.
A rapid staccato of bullets clanged against the exterior of the sub. The sound rattled her to her core as she realized they were under attack.
And there was only one man bold enough to come after them to claim what he believed belonged to him.
Nomar Ortiz.